Council of Europe briefed on Cyprus justice developments

Following a letter of complaint by AKEL MP Irini Charalambidou to the executive secretary of the Group of States against Corruption of the Council of Europe (GRECO) Gianluca Esposito, GRECO officials contacted the Law Office of the Republic requesting information on the accusations put forward by lawyer Nikos Clerides over nepotism in the justice system.

GRECO was established in 1999 by the Council of Europe to monitor States’ compliance with the organisation’s anti-corruption standards. GRECO improves the capacity of its members to fight corruption by monitoring compliance with Council of Europe anti-corruption standards through ''a dynamic process of mutual evaluation and peer pressure''.

The Attorney General Costas Clerides confirmed today that his office was contacted by GRECO.

After receiving relevant information, GRECO expressed its readiness to come to Cyprus for an on-site assessment of the serious issues arising from these complaints.